Black River, Thames Ditton

Our clients — a lively young family of six (the youngest a newborn) plus a friendly Labrador – needed light, space, and a home that could evolve with them. The existing three-storey Arts & Crafts house, set within the Thames Ditton and Greggs Hill Green Conservation Area, was dark and cramped. Our approach was twofold: revitalise the main house while creating a new garden building to stand in dialogue – across the newly landscaped plot.

The rear extension opens the ground floor into a free-flowing sequence of kitchen, dining, and family spaces, anchored by glazing and a tactile palette of concrete floors, bespoke timber joinery, and warm, pared-back finishes. Banquette seating along the window base creates the sense of sitting in a semi-outdoor room, immersed in greenery and fresh air.

Across the garden, the annex doubles as guest house, home office, games room, and music space. Dark timber cladding and rhythmic louvres lend it character and shade, while green sedum roofs soften the architecture, improve biodiversity, and manage rainwater. Together, house, garden, and annex form a single composition – robust yet welcoming, practical yet poetic – a family home now opened to light, nature, and life.